Takeaways from the Course

[Anonymous]

What are your key takeaways from this course?

How has this learning changed your perspective on development, your approach to the work, or the way you use music in your sessions?

How will you share this information with colleagues, administrators and families?

[Celia Grove]

I feel like this course reminded me of all the skills I already have, and put information I might have already known about development in a different type of structure. I look forward to working with kiddos in each of the different sprouting melodies levels, but also using some of these different songs (especially lap songs and some of the sensory-based songs) for clients who have higher sensory needs.
I also look forward to talking with families in a different way- showing them all the different strengths their children are utilizing. I also know that with my colleagues we share songs all the time, so I hope that hearing me sing some of the songs from this course might add some variety in songs they use as well! 🙂

[Brenna Sheaffer]

My key takeaway from this course is the reminder of the impact that music can make on early childhood development. This learning has opened my eyes and provided a different perspective on how to observe and view in real time the stages and changes of development for young children. This work has provided me with even more methods and content that I can use with all of the children that I work with and provide the confidence that I wasn’t willing to share before with administrators, staff members and families to provide responses as to the big “why” of music therapy services and why I am here. I have already started to share and advocate about some of these aspects in the PreK classrooms and social/emotional groups that I run in schools. I have also grown more confident in sharing that I’m not afraid of “tantrums” or “escalations” from children that’s why I’m there; to help work through those moments musically. So overall, it has really provided me with the reminder that I am knowledgable and capable of providing growth and support to children.

[Leeann Mcmorrow]

As somebody who spent most of the last decade working in hospice with adults, this class was so eye opening for me! It truly made me realize how much I already know about early childhood music from my music therapy training and offered some real examples of this kind of work. I am particularly grateful for all of the musical compositions that were presented in this course, as it gave me so many ideas (including writing some music of my own).
I’m part of a very extensive mom’s group network on social media. I really want to take some of the information I’ve learned and see if there’s interest through that in having me run a class. I’m also really excited to have found a new opportunity to work with kids the same age as my daughter.

[Caitlyn Pawelek]

My key takeaway from this course is just how much music goes hand in hand with early childhood development. While I knew how music was able to be used through a music therapy education, this has opened a new perspective and how much it benefits. It also helped me better understand the full way that children develop and what to look for in children in sessions as well as adapting to aid with other individuals that I work with. I also am excited to continue to use the language and knowledge I learned in this course with parents, families, and school staff that I interact with. Being able to explain to them why I am seeing certain things and give them insights on what to look for as well. I hope to be able to start/lead some classes with more children as well! As many of my work colleagues have also taken this course, I hope to be able to collaborate with them in this area and share skills that we have all taken away.

[Erika Svolos]

It was a pleasure to be with all of you in this course. I thank you all for your insights and contributions. I wish you much success in your future endeavors.

[Hally Batterman]

This was my second time taking the course and I loved it both times! I decided to take this updated version years later because I not only wanted a refresher for myself and my work, but I’m also trying to set up mommy and me type music classes at my current place of employment in the near future. After experiencing this training for a second time, I feel that I have really grasped the knowledge and the language that is necessary when communicating with families and caregivers. I understood it the first time around, but I don’t think it sunk in as much. I think this comes with more years of experience as an MT-BC. I really enjoyed getting a thorough education in early childhood development, especially as it pertains to music development. I can’t wait to start planning this future program and I am grateful to have made some wonderful connections here in this awesome field. I know I can come here for help if I need any extra guidance with the program in the future and I greatly appreciate that. I encouraged many of my co-workers to take this training, especially if they would like to facilitate those mommy and me groups in the future. I am hoping that they will eventually take the training because I feel like all MT-BC’s could benefit from this knowledge and it could easily be used in other populations.

[Grace Baer]

I think my key takeaway from this course is that I realized how I already have the majority of the tools I need to work in this setting and how to shift my focus to address this specific population’s needs. Instead of concentrating on structured concepts like following 2-step directions as I would with kids in Pre-K, I’ve learned to take it back a few steps to those foundational concepts like building trust and responsibility with young children. I have also begun implementing the idea of pointing out and explaining what I see when working with kids, and it’s become a more comfortable practice for me. I have loved getting all of the song and intervention materials throughout the course, and I look forward to implementing and sharing all of them with my team.

[Samantha M Lawrence]

This course really provided the details of what makes music developmentally appropriate and when and why. This was such a huge gap in my training and having these very specific observations and categories of development make me feel so much more confident as a expert for music and early childhood. Having all of this support and content is really motivating me look into how I can reach into my own community. It’s also been empowering me to have more dialogue with the teachers that I’m working with in preschool now about what is developmentally appropriate in music and what expectations we have.

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